When it comes to following the Jazz, it's many of the fans who feel like they're on a 24-second clock.
With recent Jazz-Lakers series games, both home and away, not starting until 8:30 p.m. MST, some local fans have been forced to choose: life-sustaining sleep or watching their Jazz in person or on the tube.And for many a devoted Jazz fan, it's been a no-brainer.
"The Jazz are definitely more important than sleep," said Ken Branch, whose workday at Walsh Concrete begins at 6 a.m.. "There's three of us here who made it all the way through the game last night. We'd love a nap, but we're too busy."
Branch was only one of many Jazz fans in need of a nap after this week's late starting games.
"I would love a good nap right now but we've gotta make sure that all the milk gets out," said Steve Wingeier, who watched the entire games both Tuesday and Thursday nights, despite his 5:30 a.m. starting time at Winder Dairy.
"I'm just running on adrenaline this morning, but tonight I'm gonna feel it," said Carla Campbell, who also watched both games, then got up early for her job at Sutherlands Lumber.
While these fans managed to stick it out for the entirety of both games not every early-rising fan was so committed.
"I made it to about the third quarter, then I just passed out on the couch," said Lori King, who works an early-morning shift at Red Hanger Cleaners. "It sucks," she said of the late game times.
"I made it up to when Ostertag went down in the third quarter," said Craig Matthews, who arrives at Fast Pitch Courier at 5 a.m. "When I saw Ostertag rolling around on the floor (with a knee injury) I knew it was all over and I cashed it in."
The 20-point Jazz loss to the Lakers Thursday night added insult to injury for those fans who gave up their regular bed times to watch the game.
"I've given up a lot of sleep to watch the games," said Matthews. "When they play well it's worth it, but when they lose it's tough."
"I probably should have just gone to bed but I didn't," said Branch.
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary reports that sleep deprivation can result in irritability, disorientation, impaired performance of mental and physical tasks, hallucinations and paranoid thoughts. But none of these fans reported suffering from any of those symptoms.
"We're all doing just fine here," said Branch. "We're too busy to be dozy."
Despite Thursday's loss, Branch and the other sleep-deprived fans remain optimistic and look forward to watching every Jazz playoff game.
"I just love to watch the Jazz, and I know they're going to come through," said Campbell.
Sleepy Jazz fans will get a break on Saturday. Game four of the series will be an afternoon game. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.